JAHNS ON DEIONDRE’ HALL
Hall was a standout in Thursday’s preseason opener and Adam breaks down the physical traits that make him a fit for this defense.
At 6-2 and 201 pounds, Hall fits Fangio’s preference for big cornerbacks. He also played on the first kickoff unit against the Broncos.
His arm length, like an offensive tackle’s, makes him special. Assistant secondary coach Sam Garnes said Hall’s rules for technique differ because of it.
“[It’s] eyes, hands and feet, and then just staying patient,” Hall said. “I’m longer than pretty much everybody else out there, so I’ll be able to get my hands on a lot quicker.”
Hall said becoming a cornerback who excels in press coverage is a process, but he already was able to show Thursday how useful his long arms can be.
CAMPBELL ON FULLER
Kyle Fuller is dealing with a nagging knee injury and isn’t with the team in New England. Rich pries into the enigmatic Fuller, analyzing his status with a hierarchy not responsible for drafting him.
In Fox’s 20 months at the helm, he has left no ambiguity about the traits he covets in players. Among them: intelligence, toughness and enthusiasm. He wants guys who love the daily process of being part of a team and the work required to improve.
In that regard, Fuller can be hard to read. Outwardly, he is as reserved as any of the Bears’ high-profile players.
While the Bears have pressed Fuller behind the scenes this summer for that passion and presence, he trusts that coaches appreciate different personality types on the team as long as everyone is contributing.
“Every guy out there is going to be himself,” Fuller said. “I’d rather you see me flying around, knocking balls down and getting interceptions to show my enthusiasm. I’m not a screamer. You may get spurts, but that’s how I look at it. The way I approach it is letting my play show my enthusiasm.”
That seems to be a self-sustaining cycle, though. Make plays and the high energy follows. At least the opposite appeared true to coaches early last season after Fuller surrendered some big completions and committed multiple pass-interference penalties.
After Fuller was briefly benched, Fangio compared him to the recent wayward version of Tiger Woods. He asserted confidence stems from production and not the other way around.
Veteran cornerback Tracy Porter, whom Fuller considers one of his top resources on the team, saw something similar.
“He wasn’t playing with as much confidence and as much swagger as he should,” Porter said.
WHY TWITTER CAN BE STUPID
Everybody’s opinion doesn’t matter. Some people are just stupid and should be ignored.
DAN POMPEI IS A BIT LOST AT SEA
3. Did the Bears lose their best pass protector when Adam Gase headed to Miami?
— Dan Pompei (@danpompei) August 12, 2016
Dan has been around a long time. He knows drawing conclusions from the first preseason game is ridiculous. But he’s kind of with the Tribune, kind of with Bleacher Report, working with The Athletic (which somehow believes people will pay for Dan Durkin’s fake Twitter followers) and basically runs a blog that has the worst design anyone on earth has ever seen. He’s trying to carve out a role for himself in the new media landscape and sadly that means overreacting to every moment of the NFL’s offseason.
No, the Bears did not lose their best pass protector when Gase went to Miami. And I will now repeat what I said a million times last year. Gase didn’t do a great job protecting Cutler in 2015. Cutler did an amazing job avoiding rush and creating offense. Cutler made Gase in 2015. It was not the other way around.
